![]() If a story is going to heavily rely on magic than technology must be limited enough that magic still appears spectacular. The reason some argue that Magic and Technology should not intermix is because of Clarke’s Third Law: Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. One of the conflicts that inspired A Song of Ice and Fire Conflict Between Magic and Technology Additionally, one of the most common arguments used to explain why magic and the medieval period works has a lot to do with how magic would be mute in a world that is technologically advanced. Since the idea of magic was already fully ingrained in the period, it makes it easier to stretch out what is already known and turn it into gold. The medieval period is a perfect setting for intermixing magic and religion because the setting works seamlessly together. As such, authors can take an event like The Wars of Roses, multiply the amount of houses engaged in the issue, add Dragons, White Walkers and Children of the Forest and you have A Song of Ice and Fire. With the Middle age we already have a basic idea of the politics and some of their life styles but not so much that it’s familiar and we can fully relate to the world. The medieval period gives them the free range to warp what we already know about the time period and make it epic. Additionally, in a time period where the Inquisition and Crusades where legally sanctioned events, they get to work with an ambivalent law system that would give their protagonist more liberties. ![]() As such, authors already have the necessary material to help them develop a magic system or their own religions. The influence of Christianity also contributed to fears about spirits, demons and plagues sent to punish sinners. The simple title, the “Dark ages” alludes to sorcery, curses and death. The idea of a hero going on a quest does not originate in the medieval world, but these stories are romanticized to fit the “Dark ages.” Magic and demons were common themes in medieval art If not, we have rebels like Robin Hood who serves the good, by doing bad or Arthur and his knights around the roundtable. There are countless stories of knights in shining armor going off to slay dragons. In addition, the medieval period has been constructed to appear as a place of adventure. Modern fantasy books all extrapolate from these works to a certain extent. Western Mythologies, folklore, and the Grimm Brothers introduced us to fairy godmothers and wands, elves and dwarfs, heroes and dragons at a young age. The first encounter that most people have with medieval times, or at least a time that feels medieval, is through fairy tales. As such, series that clear links to the any of the two eras but that aren’t necessarily set in that era will also be discussed throughout the article. When speaking of the “medieval period,” I am talking about series who resembles or has clearly been influenced by the medieval Period as well as the Renaissance Period of Europe. The first is the influence of the existing rhetoric surrounding the medieval period, followed by using a technology deprived time to allow magic to flourish and most significantly the influence of the “Godfather of Fantasy,” Tolkien. For the purpose of this article, I will focus on three common reasons that are often mentioned while discussing the popularity of Medieval Fantasy. There are many reasons the genre and the time period are constantly linked together. ![]() Kingdoms, dragons, and wizards are classic elements found in fantasy. The fantasy genre is often characterized by a medieval time period or some form of pre-19th-century Western culture. Medieval Fantasy: A Success and an Impasse ![]()
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